The present invention relates to a device for developing and fixing a dental radiography plate, of the type including:
a casing of flexible material which is opaque to visible radiation, the casing having first and second compartments interconnected by a duct,
a radiographic plate housed in the first compartment, and
at least one sealed container for the liquid for processing the radiographic plate, the container being disposed in the second compartment and being able to release the liquids as a result of the rupture of a portion of the container.
A device of the type specified above is known from the present Applicant's document GB 1,169,409 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,430,042 dated Feb. 25, 1969. This known device provides for the use of two sachets in the second compartment of the casing, one containing a developing liquid and the other a fixing liquid. In this known device,. the two sachets have respective tongues which project from the casing through a side opening in the second compartment. When a tongue is pulled, the respective sachet is torn and the liquid reaches the compartment containing the radiographic plate through the duct which connects it to the compartment containing the sachets.
In this known device, the casing containing the sachets must be at least partially open so that the tongues for opening the sachets can extend through it. After the sachets have been torn it is therefore not possible to remove the plate from the casing without spilling the used liquids.
The spillage of the liquids from the casing constitutes a problem because of their oxidising and polluting characteristics, particularly in view of the hygiene and sanitary requirements for a dental surgery.
The object of the present invention is to provide a device of the type defined at the beginning which prevents the spillage of the developing and fixing liquids and which is simpler, cheaper and easier to use than the known device described above.